One week today my husband and I will be setting off from Gothenburg, Sweden, on a mission to fetch 20 young rats from the UK to help improve the fancy rat population in the north of Sweden.

What started off as a small thought to help the breeders who provided us with some of our beautiful girls over the last few years, has turned into a major expedition!

Although a large country in area, Sweden has a small population of 10 million (about the population of Greater London) and ethical rat breeders are few and far between. Up to now inbreeding has not generally been used in Sweden and this (amongst other reasons) has led to a lack of good 'breeding stock'.

We are great believers in rats bred for health and temperament, and not for looks. We share this belief with some young, enthusiastic Swedish breeders in the north of the country. They have done a lot of research and have received excellent help and advice from some wonderful UK breeders. They have saved money and are now ready for some new rats.

So, after about a year of thinking, researching and planning, we have nearly reached the time of departure. There are 20 rats waiting to travel (10 does and 10 bucks) and two crazy Brits prepared to travel on 4 overnight ferries in a row and drive many hours to pick them up and bring them back to Sweden. We have a license for importing and have checked with the countries we will travel through that all will be well at the borders. We have discussed cages, substrate, feeding and watering, car/ferry conditions, onward travel etc etc etc.

I am so excited but slightly nervous at the same time. At times I wonder what on earth I am doing!?! All for the love of rats.......!

That sounds like an amazing project: so many people, so much preparation, and what sounds like a massive trek to tie it all together. Like the Silk Road, but furrier. Do document your trip if you can; it sounds like it'll be a Real Adventure™!

I can't wait for the rats to finally get here! I'm super excited (and super nervous that anything will go wrong...)! I haven't quite managed to wrap my head around the fact that this is actually happening, after so much planning. Both of you have been so incredibly helpful, Helen and Mary! I can't thank you enough. /My, one of the Swedish breeders

With Mike currently in Berlin at a conference (and our daughter in England on a school trip), I will set off alone tomorrow in the trusty car complete with roof box. We will not, obviously, be carrying the 19 rats in the roof box . It is there to carry the goodies us Brits miss in this foreign land. This is the first time we will be returning to our homeland in the car since we moved to Sweden nearly 4 years ago (it is not exactly the most convenient or cheapest way home). It gives us the opportunity to pick up some favourites.

(and if only we could have a fridge in the roofbox. That would include the great British Sausage, pork pies, scotch eggs, Red Leicester and Double Gloucester cheese....)

I like to think we are a healthy family but I just re-read that list. Hahaha!

Today I have to pack up some things for our beautiful 4 girls to take with them to the rat-sitters. Cage + furnishings, water bottles, food, substrate etc etc. Then I need to take them and say goodbye for 5 days .

So I was nodding along to the list, until I got to the clingfilm! Is there something special about our clingfilm? Do I need to take a case with me if I ever move abroad?

Cadbury have been doing some really random flavours in their bar chocolate in recent years, so you'll have some fun things to look forward to when you get here. Aside from the baby rats of course! And I'm sure your own girls will forgive you if they get a share of all those goodies. (Except maybe the wine and brandy. )

I think the question is more what is wrong with Swedish cling film? It's thin, flimsy, rips far too easily and doesn't stick to itself very well. I have tried several brands and they're all the same. Visitors think I'm quite crazy when I ask them to bring a box

hjanders wrote:I think the question is more what is wrong with Swedish cling film? It's thin, flimsy, rips far too easily and doesn't stick to itself very well. I have tried several brands and they're all the same. Visitors think I'm quite crazy when I ask them to bring a box

Haha, Helen, I totally agree about the cling film here being bad... I can never get it to work the way it should!

So, there are 2 hours left until I leave and I'm all ready to go. There must be something wrong, what have I forgotten? I've even cleaned the inside of the car windscreen. I mean, I NEVER do that!

Thankfully we only live 15 minutes drive from the ferry port in Gothenburg so at least this leg of the journey is easy. I have to admit though, I am looking forward to meeting up with Mike tomorrow morning in Kiel (Germany). It feels very daunting setting off on this crazy mission alone.......